SUSTAINING OUR SEAS: ADVANCING FISHERIES CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT
From shellfish sustainability and native oyster restoration to the genetics of salmon and trout, Queen’s is at the forefront of research safeguarding our marine biodiversity and ensuring resilient, productive fisheries for future generations. Drawing on decades of longitudinal data, cutting-edge genomic tools, and ecological insight, our researchers are tackling the complex biological, environmental, and human factors shaping aquatic ecosystems across Ireland and beyond.
Whether developing operational response systems for marine pollution, informing fisheries policy through population dynamics, or protecting endangered species, Queen’s experts are working across disciplines to deliver real-world solutions for sustainable seafood, ecosystem health, and blue economy innovation.
Led by specialists including Dr Sarah Helyar, Dr Annika Clements, Professor Paulo Prodohl and Dr Caroline Bradley, our research is helping shape more equitable, evidence-based marine management, from the genetics of invasive fish to the conservation of iconic native species.
FEATURED RESEARCH:
SHELLFISH SUSTAINABILITY AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
- Environmental and biological factors of relevance to shellfish production in Northern Ireland: insights from 20 years of regional monitoring data
- Population dynamics of the European native oyster in a Marine Conservation Zone exposed to unregulated harvesting
- Geological settings and controls of fluid migration and associated seafloor seepage features in the north Irish Sea
SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES AND POPULATION HEALTH
- Towards vibrant fish populations and sustainable fisheries that benefit all: learning from the last 30 years to inform the next 30 years
- Complex landscape, instream and anthropogenic environmental features drive genetic and morphological structuring amongst brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations in a dendritic river system
- Identifying and conserving sympatric diversity in trout of the genus Salmo, with particular reference to Lough Melvin, Ireland
- Population genetics reveal patterns of natural colonisation of an ecologically and commercially important invasive fish
AQUATIC GENOMICS AND CONSERVATION INNOVATION
- DNA extraction from recently fertilised Atlantic salmon embryos for use in microsatellite validation of triploidy
- Current status and potential of genomic selection to improve selective breeding in the main aquaculture species of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) member countries
- A holistic and comprehensive data approach validates the distribution of the critically endangered flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius)
